Second Tuolumne fire spreads, forces evacuations

A wildfire in Tuolumne County has spread to 150 acres, causing mandatory evacuations for residents, Cal Fire officials said Sunday evening. The evacuation is for Algerine, Wards Ferry Road to Twist Road and Old Ward Ferry to Richards Ranch.

Mother Lode Fairgrounds in Sonora is being used as a shelter for those who are evacuated and for their animals.

The fire, named the Twist Fire due to its place of origin on Twist Road, was affecting only 20 acres at around 5 p.m. Sunday but quickly spread. The new wildfire is near the site of the Jacksonville Fire, also in Tuolumne County. That fire is mostly contained, and the mandatory evacuations it prompted were lifted as of Sunday morning.

The Tuolumne and Calaveras unit of Cal Fire was at the scene of the Twist Fire and officials said structures near Hog Mountain are threatened.